Dream
by Florida's Firefly
Summary: Oscar is rudely awakened from an odd dream about his mother by his alarm clock that he didn't set on a MONDAY morning. We know how that feels. Introduces my OC, Reuben. Set a few days before the movie starts.


Probably the first Shark Tale story on this site or possibly anywhere on the net. I don't know what quite got me to do this, but I went and saw Shark Tale and I loved it. I know a lot of people hated it, but I'm not a lot of people. It's animated, it's about fish, and it stars Will Smith - works for me! However, I don't expect a bunch of reviews on this one if nobody really liked it....... Oh, well.... I'd appreciate insight from other fans, though!  
  
Some more voice casting for ya..... XD

Earl: (temporarily) Jim Gaffigan (Adult Chris Grandy from _13 Going On 30_)

Young Oscar: Jeremy Suarez (Koda from _Brother Bear_) 

Reuben: Micheal J. Fox (Way too many things. Chance from the _Homeward Bound_ movies, Stuart in the _Stuart Little_ movies, Milo from _Atlantis: The Lost Empire_, and the guy's even had his own TV show. XD)  
  
---  
  
The long, unending, high-pitched buzz coming from the EKG monitor signified to Earl that Jade had breathed her last. He looked down at his wife's still face as she lay on the hospital bed.

Earl was not the type to cry. In fact, he was known to not really show any negative emotions outwardly. But inside, he was shattered. Only tears came to his eyes, and he leaned down slowly, gently placing a kiss on Jade's cheek.

He stayed there by her bedside for a while, remembering all of the things he loved about her. Even in death, she was still the most beautiful fish he had ever seen.

Throughout her life, Jade had been compassionate and kind to everyone she met. She never held a grudge against anyone, but she had a spunky personality that motioned that if you were on her bad side, pray you wouldn't cross paths with her. Her independent spirit was only one of the things that Earl still loved about her.

The majority of her scales were a beautiful purple that would sparkle in the light, making her look like she was wearing a sheet of amethyst. Her eyes had been a beautiful, deep shade of blue, a trait that passed right on to their young son, Oscar.

"Oscar…" he thought out loud to himself. Earl had known that his Jade was dying…dying from some sickness that couldn't be stopped. He wasn't sure how he was going to tell Oscar, too young to really understand what death was. What Earl had finally done was explain to his young son that his mom would soon fall asleep and she would never wake up…but she would still be looking out for him for as long as he lived.

Earl's heart went out to his son. Here, at only 5 years old, his mother was taken from him. It was something that no child should be deprived of at that age, let alone anytime in his childhood. He loved Oscar with all that he had, and it was up to him now. With the right amount of love, discipline, and teaching, he would raise Oscar the best he could.

Earl swam out of the room and turned to the left where his son was sitting in one of the chairs and waiting.

Oscar looked up as his dad swam around the corner. He blinked with a look of that confused and natural kid innocence. "……Is Mommy asleep?"

His dad looked at him for a minute, and then exhaled quietly. "…Yeah." he finally answered. "Mommy's asleep."

Oscar shifted his eyes to the ground and didn't say anything. After a little while, he slid off of his chair and swam towards his dad. He swam into his fins and Earl hugged his son tightly. Oscar shielded his face in his dad's shoulder for a long moment, and then he looked up at the doorway of the room where his mom lay.

_BEEP-BEEP_

_BEEP-BEEP_

_BEEP-BEEP_

_BEEP-BEEP_

Oscar's eyes shot wide awake, breaking him from his dream world. He remembered he was in his apartment and groaned in frustration. "Idiot clock…" he muttered. The wrasse fish rolled onto his side, facing the three FISH-EX boxes stacked next to his bed that made up his 'nightstand'. On top of it, he had a small pull-cord lamp and a digital alarm clock. The clock screen was beeping at him and flashing 7:45 A.M. _Must've set itself to go off again…_ Oscar thought. He reached out a fin and punched the snooze button. Then, with a tired groan, he rolled onto his stomach, pulled the pillow over his head with one fin, and dropped the other so it was hanging over the side of the bed. Outside, he could hear Reef City already bustling with the average Monday morning chaos of fish hurrying to work. It was probably what he should've been doing at the moment, but what the halibut.

Once he finally got himself up and ready, Oscar swam out of the door of his apartment and swam out into the streets.

On his way to the Whale Wash, he came across the Shorties, who were up to mischief as they usually were, tagging up the 'hood with their temporary spray paint jobs. He watched as the kids zipped past and tagged Crazy Joe's shell, causing the old hermit crab to pop out and try and grab them, only to fail. Oscar smiled and shook his head.

After a little while, he finally arrived at the Whale Wash. He swam past the line of whales outside waiting to get in. When he got inside, the first place he went to was straight to the clock to punch in. But when he got there, his card was showing that he _already_ was punched in. He blinked. How could he already be punched in? The only way that could happen is by somebody else punching in for him. And he didn't know anybody at work who would go out of their way like that for him.

Nobody except the Whale Wash's receptionist…Angie.

Oscar smiled. He put his card back where it was and began swimming off towards Angie's booth, which basically was higher up where it could see the entire Whale Wash. He swam straight up to the desk where Angie was working.

"Hey, girl!" he called. "What up?"

"Huh?" Angie looked up. "Oh, hi, Oscar!"

Oscar swam over and spun her once in her chair. "I saw ya punched me in! I don't know what I'd do without ya, Ange, thanks."

Angie smiled and got his belt and goggles out of a cabinet. "You would've gotten your walking papers by this time is what." she teased. She tossed him the goggles and helped him latch his belt on. She suddenly noticed the look on his face. "Are you okay? You look really tired."

"Nah, I'm fine." Oscar smiled. "It's just…I had this _really_ crazy dream last night and my alarm clock went off on its own again, so…I guess I got off on the wrong vibes this morning." He shrugged it off. "But hey, it's all good. Thanks again for coverin' for me."

"Dream?" Angie repeated. "What dream?"

"Welll, maybe more of a flashback; I dunno. Just bad memories, I guess. No big." He started swimming out of her office. "Later!"

The phone rang and Angie went to answer it, using the Wash's catchphrase. "Sykes' Whale Wash; you get a whale of a wash and the price, oh my gosh."

Oscar swam away from Angie's office and towards a whale that was going through the wash line. As he swam past the bungee crabs, the wax turtles, and the back cleaners, they all greeted him and he slapped a few fins. As he was swimming past the back cleaners, he looked and noticed one of them with orange scales and brown stripes on his back. Oscar smiled. It was Reuben, the fish that had been his best friend (besides Angie) since he was a kid. He swam closer and called up.

"Reuben! What's happenin', my man?"

Reuben glanced over his shoulder. He smiled and swam over. "Oscar! Hey, buddy, what's up?"

"Just headin' off to another day at the halitosis haven…" Oscar gave a sarcastic thumbs-up. "Yay!" He forced a fake laugh. "Where else do ya think?"

Lowering an eyebrow, Reuben propped his elbow on his squeegee's handle. "Well, I think _one of us_ got up on the wrong side of the seabed this morning. What's up? Didn't sleep well last night or somethin'? Monday morning blues?"

"Both, actually."

"Well, don't sweat it, Oscar. This Friday's when Mr. Sykes gives us a paycheck anyhow." Reuben turned and swam back to his work. "I mean, what could go wrong in five days?" he called back.

Oscar didn't say anything, but simply smiled and rolled his eyes. He continued swimming to the front of the whale, where his fellow tongue-scrubbers would be waiting for him.

_Reuben's right…_ he thought. Nothing could go completely wrong in five weak days…

…Could it?

---  
  
I remember seeing a clip of a movie on TV (I forget what it was) that I should give credit to the 'is Mommy asleep' bit. I liked it because it wasn't too gushy and emotional, but was just enough to get under your skin. I had to use it, but it's not something I made up, just so ya know. 


End file.
